Animal Companion: Tiger

Animal companions and hirelings are both areas which I feel the current 4E ruleset is handling poorly. In the case of hirelings, it's almost nonexistent. Animal companions do see some support in the form of the Beast Master Ranger (Martial Power) and the new Essentials Druid. However, that’s still a pretty limited area and one where I have seen players struggle against in the pursuit of their perfect vision of their character.

Since my NPC Ally rules have been working so well for hirelings, I reasoned that they should work equally well for animal companions. Thus, here is a Tiger that any PC can use as a pet.

 

Tiger                           Animal Companion (Level 6)
HP 1; a missed attack never damages the tiger.
Armor Class 20; Fortitude 18, Reflex 18, Will 16
Guarded By Heroes + At-Will                                 
Trigger: The tiger is hit by an attack and you are adjacent to her.
Effect (Immediate Interrupt): You are hit by the attack instead.
Hustle It! + At-Will                                                   
Minor Action
Effect: You command the tiger to take a move action (Speed 8).
M Claws + At-Will                                                     
Standard or Opportunity Action
Attack (one target): Melee 1; +12 vs. AC

Hit: 2d6 damage.
m Pounce + At-Will                                                  
Standard Action
Effect: The tiger jumps up to its speed and makes a claws attack.